David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that MICHELE RENE MUZYKA, 61, of Cheshire, received her sentence today from U.S. District Judge Victor A. Bolden in New Haven. The court sentenced her to one day of imprisonment, which she has already served, along with three years of supervised release, for illegally distributing controlled substances. Judge Bolden also ordered Muzyka to pay a $25,000 fine and complete 100 hours of community service.
According to court documents and statements presented in court, law enforcement launched an investigation into Muzyka, an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN), after pharmacists in New Britain and Middletown raised concerns. They reported that Muzyka prescribed high doses of benzodiazepines and amphetamines to groups of patients who appeared to know each other or were related, and in some cases, collected each other’s prescriptions. One pharmacist eventually refused to fill prescriptions issued by Muzyka, suspecting they were unlawfully written or fraudulent.
An undercover investigation later revealed that between January 2024 and June 2025, Muzyka unlawfully distributed amphetamines, including Adderall, and benzodiazepines, such as Xanax and alprazolam, to individuals without a legitimate medical need. During office visits, she failed to perform medical examinations on certain patients and did not verify conditions that would justify prescribing these controlled substances. She charged patients $200 in cash for these visits, including an undercover agent posing as a Medicaid beneficiary. Although enrolled as a Medicare and Medicaid provider, Muzyka refused to accept the agent’s Medicaid plan and instead required the $200 cash payment. Medicaid ultimately paid $287.58 for the prescriptions she issued to the undercover agent.
The investigation also found that between February 2020 and June 2023, five individuals who received prescriptions for amphetamines and benzodiazepines from Muzyka died from overdoses involving fentanyl, amphetamines, benzodiazepines, and other drugs.
Authorities arrested Muzyka on June 23, 2025. On January 21, 2026, she pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute, distribution, and dispensing of controlled substances.
Muzyka has surrendered both her controlled substance licenses and her APRN license.
The Drug Enforcement Administration and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Inspector General, led the investigation, with assistance from the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection, Drug Control Division. Assistant U.S. Attorney Katherine E. Boyles prosecuted the case.